Man testifies accused killers in Farmington Hills slaying divided up who they would kill

Mitchell Young listens in the courtroom during his preliminary exam at 47th District Court in Farmington Hills, Wednesday May 23, 2012. He and Tucker Cipriano are facing charges in the murder of 52-year-old Robert Cipriano and brutal attacks on Rosemary Cipriano and Salvatore Cipriano, 17, at their home on April 16, 2012. (Oakland Press Photo By: Vaughn Gurganian)

Tucker Cipriano listens in the courtroom during his preliminary exam at 47th District Court in Farmington Hills, Wednesday May 23, 2012. He and Mitchell Young are facing charges in the murder of 52-year-old Robert Cipriano and brutal attacks on Rosemary Cipriano and Salvatore Cipriano, 17, at their home on April 16, 2012. (Oakland Press Photo By: Vaughn Gurganian)

A 20-year-old homeless man and a veteran Farmington Hills police officer provided riveting details about what happened the night of April 16 when Robert Cipriano was found beaten to death in his kitchen.

Tucker Cipriano, Robert's 19-year-old son and his friend Mitchell Young, 20, stand accused of murdering Cipriano's father and also with two counts of assault with intent to murder for the beatings of Rosemary Cipriano and Salvatore Cipriano, Tucker's mother and brother, as well as one count of armed robbery.

The homeless man, Ian Zinderman, 20, testified before Judge Marla Parker in 47th District Court that he was with the pair weeks before the murder and heard them discussing of possibly killing the family for money.

"Tucker was estimating (there would be) $3,000 overall," said Zinderman, who said he would receive a third, $1,000.

He said all three -- Young, Cipriano and Zinderman -- were homeless, "bouncing around friends' houses." Zinderman said he had known Cipriano since the two were in sixth grade together. He said he often saw Tucker smoke the synthetic marijuana drug Spice, and that Tucker needed money for the drug.

On April 15 Zinderman -- who has been granted immunity for his testimony by prosecutors -- said he along with Cipriano, and Young, whom he calls "Roderick," drove a pickup truck to the Cipriano family home twice and broke in to get money. Zinderman said he boosted up Tucker to enter a garage window.

"Tucker wanted me to get Spice," Zinderman said. "They would roll it up into joints and smoke it."

Zinderman said they planned to take money from Robert Cipriano's wallet for Spice and gas money. They would then go to their 14-year-old friend's house in Keego Harbor.

The first time they found a bank card but it wouldn't work at a nearby ATM. Even without the money, Young and Cipriano bought Spice, said Zinderman.

They decided to return to the Cipriano home a second time. This time they found a gift card.

After the second break-in, Zinderman said Young and Cipriano talk about killing Tucker's family for money.

"I heard them, but don't remember who (said what)," Zinderman said.

"They decided Tucker was going to go after the two brothers (Salvatore and Tanner, who are twins), Roderick (Young) was going to go after the mom and the dad. Roderick was supposed to go after the sister (Isabella). The father would go first because (he) was bigger and more of a threat."

The bodies, he said, would be weighted down and thrown into the Detroit River.

Once the massacre had occurred, Zinderman said the family cars would be taken along with objects of value.

"Tucker wanted to run away to Mexico," he said.

Zinderman added that there was some discussion about whether to murder a neighbor family or the Ciprianos, but they chose the Ciprianos because "they seemed better off."

Zinderman said he didn't want to participate.

"I said if they want to f-- up their lives, they can do it on their own accord," he said. "Don't bring me into it."

Zinderman said he asked to be dropped at the friend's house in Keego Harbor.

Zinderman testified that Tucker Cipriano asked to smoke more Spice in order to banish "second thoughts" about killing his family.

The next time he saw Tucker, he said, was when Tucker appeared at the Keego house wearing a shirt with blood on the sleeve. Young wasn't with him. Zinderman said he also saw a wound on Tucker Cipriano's left side.

"It looked like a dog bite," he said.

Cipriano was washing off blood.

"He was very quiet," Zinderman said. "All he said was he messed up."

Zinderman gave him another shirt to wear and said he recalled Cipriano smoking Spice again with other friends at the house.

Cipriano asked Zinderman to get rid of the pickup truck. As Zinderman was at the truck, Farmington Hills police arrested him.

The defense attorneys, Mitchell Ribitwer and Michael McCarthy, hammered away at Zinderman's comments, pointing out he provided different statements about his role as possible getaway driver to Farmington Hills police.

"I was afraid," he said as his reason.

"I've always been afraid of Tucker," he said. "He's unpredictable. You never know what he's going to do, even when he's not smoking Spice."

Ribitwer noted that Zinderman appeared on local TV speaking out about the case right after the crime. "You couldn't have been that afraid," Ribitwer said.

"Was (your speaking up) because Cipriano was locked up?"

Zinderman said yes.

Farmington Hills police officer finds Ciprianos after crime

Officer Michael Meister said he and officer Eric Buckberry were the first two to arrive at the Cipriano home after receiving a radio call about family trouble.

Meister said Isabella let the officers in, and he took the young girl outdoors.

He handcuffed Tanner because he didn't know who he was. Young came downstairs and Meister also handcuffed him.

Meister said he saw blood on the floor and saw people --Rose and Salvatore Cipriano -- lying one atop the other on the stair landing.

After checking upstairs and finding no one, he came back down to the landing and helped Rose Cipriano. Meister said he heard gurgling sounds.

"We pulled Rose off Sal," Meister said. "I held her head because of possible neck injuries. Her right eye was puffed up. Her left was covered with blood. I felt like I was holding her eye in its socket."

He said Salvatore was bloody, with a gouge on his forehead.

His face was so swollen, "I couldn't tell his age." Medics arrived and treated the Ciprianos. Other police officers came to the home. Later Meister saw Robert Cipriano lying in a pool of blood in the kitchen. Two bloody aluminum bats were found in the house, he said.

Robert was pronounced dead at the house, Meister said.

Ribitwer said after the exam ended that Zinderman has "credibility issues. There have been lapses of memory, he can't recall things."

Other witnesses are expected to be called as the preliminary exam continues at the courthouse at 9:30 a.m. on June 8.

Contact Carol Hopkins at 248-745-4645 or carol.hopkins@oakpress.com. Follow her on Twitter @waterfordreport or on Facebook @OPcarolhopkins.